1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus comprising an ink head for discharging ink that cures when irradiated with light, and a light emitting device for curing the ink.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A conventional inkjet printer comprises an ink head for discharging ink onto a recording medium, wherein the ink is cured when irradiated with ultraviolet light. The ink is hereinafter referred to as “ultraviolet curable ink.” The conventional inkjet printer comprises an ultraviolet light emitting device for applying ultraviolet light to the ink on the recording medium, and an adjusting means for adjusting the timing for the output of the ultraviolet light via the ultraviolet light emitting device. The present application aims to perform a printing operation that is suitable for controlling a viscosity of ink droplets by adjusting the timing for the application of the ultraviolet light by the adjusting means.
The conventional inkjet printer is configured to enable the ultraviolet light emitting device and the ink head to move on the same guide rail. For this reason, the efficiency of a printing operation cannot be ensured because the ink head cannot print while the ultraviolet light emitting device is performing ultraviolet light irradiation.
The prior art has devised a configuration in which a sub-guide rail is additionally disposed in front of and parallel to the guide rail so that the ultraviolet light emitting device can move along the sub-guide rail. However, this configuration limits the timing of the ultraviolet light irradiation to a time after the ink head has performed the printing operation. Accordingly, the surface condition of the ink cannot be changed and a variety of printing operations cannot be performed.
It is an object of the invention to provide an inkjet recording apparatus that allows various combinations of ink printing and light irradiation in order to achieve a wide variety of printing operations.